of the sonne of man and of his Saincts and drinke their bloud you haue no life in you Here is an addition to the letter which maketh much for the Romanistes that teache men to call vpon Saincts that are dead to pray vnto thē which we can not do without a fayth and a beléefe in them as it is written Howe shal they cal on him in whō they haue not beléeued But faith beléefe is proper only vnto almighty God and is the meane wherby we do eate the fleshe drinke the bloud of our sauiour Christ As he teacheth vs in these words I am the bread of life he that cōmeth to me shal not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst The reason is this whosoeuer eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day For my fleshe is meate in déede my bloud is drinke in déede Héere our sauiour techeth vs that he is bread he is meat drinke vnto vs we must come vnto him we muste eate him we muste drink him we shal not hūger nor thyrst for euer And this is the meane wherby we do eat his flesh drink his bloud to put away our hūger our thyrst euē to beleue in him For he saith He that beléeueth in me shal neuer thyrst Therfore if the aduersaries of the Gospel might be permitted to add vnto the letter saying thus Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man of his Saincts and so foorth they might easily proue that it is lawfull for vs to put our trust in saincts to beléeue in them as in sauiours consequently that it is good necessary to pray vnto thē But our sauiour without any additiō saith Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man drink his bloud ye haue no life in you This is the true letter which if we kéepe in this place in al other places of the scripture without any alteratiō it serueth so for the confirmation of the truth that the aduersaries can haue no aduantage agaynst it But if we take the letter only without the true feare meaning therof the cōmodity that cōmeth therby auayleth vs nothing for that is to take the vessel without wine whiche dothe vs no good Therefore in this respecte also it may be truely sayde The letter rather killeth than giueth life Moreouer for the better vnderstanding of the Apostles wordes it is to be noted that the true letter is diuersly vnderstanded in the scripture First the playn sense of the scripture without any morall or mysterie is called that letter of the which it hath bin sufficiētly spoken before Secondly that true vnderstāding of the scriptures literally morally allegorically as it cōteineth all necessarie knowledge without the spirite of God whiche causeth vs to bring foorth fruites according to the same may be called a letter that killeth They that are destitute of the spirite of God without the which no man can liue although he haue al knowledge are like the high way side or the stony groūde or the briers and brambles in the which and among the which the good séede can not prosper and bring foorth fruit This knowledge without the spirite of God is a letter that encreaseth the damnation of men rather than profiteth them For our Sauiour sayth that seruant that knew his masters will and prepared not him selfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Of this damnable letter it maye séeme that the Apostle speaketh where he sayth Shal not vncircuncision which is by nature if it kéepe the lawe iudge thée whiche by the letter and circumcision art a transgressour of the law For he is not a Iewe whiche is one outward neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iewe which is one within and the circumcision is of the heart in the spirite not in the letter whose praise is not of mē but of god Thirdly not only al knowledge without good works but also external works that are done in hypocriste as comming to the church to heare the word of God without a desire to be reformed thereby may be called a letter that killeth When men come to beare what the Preacher can do and not to learne what they them selues ought to do when men pray with their lippes and not with their hearts or do any good worke for vayne glory or to get them a name among men so foorth this is a letter that profiteth not Of this letter the Apostle séemeth to speake where he sayth Nowe are we deliuered from the law béeing dead vnto it wherin we were holden that we shuld serue in newnesse of spirite not in the oldnesse of the letter Finally the law cōsidered by it selfe without Christ is called a letter that killeth As where the Apostle sayth God hath made vs able ministers of the new testament not of the letter but of the spirite for the letter killeth but the spirite giueth life Where the Apostle writeth these words he disputeth agaynst false Christians that receyued Christ but not aright for they ioyned the law with Christ as a necessary part of our saluatiō they would not acknowledge Christ of him selfe to be a sufficient sauiour they ioyned the lawe with Christ as felow in office with him in working our saluation making him to be but halfe a sauiour alleaging for their purpose the glorious promulgation of the lawe as that it was giuen with thunder and lightening with the sound of a trumpet with fire and great smoke Also when Moses came from the mounte with the two tables his face did so shine that the people were not able to behold the brightnes therof Vnto this the Apostle answereth that the glory of the Gospel darkneth the glory of the law For the law was giuen but for a tyme but the glory of the Gospell continueth vnto the ende Also as the brightnesse of Moses face was glorious so the vayle wherwith he was couered was a tokē of imperfectiō a type of infidelity in the people But through the grace of God offred by the Gospel we are made perfect are changed into the image of his glory and are able as it were in a glasse to behold the same with open face And the more to deface the law béeing compared with Christ he calleth it the ministery of cōdēnation a letter that killeth For through our default it killeth after a sort in that it layeth our iniquities before vs letteth vs sée in our selues the image of death through sinne wherby as much as lieth in it it casteth vs down into the dānable pit of desperation there leaueth vs sore wounded without al hope of life But the spirit that is to say the gospell by meanes wherof the spirit of God worketh in
vs a true fayth quickneth vs agayn exalteth vs into heaueÌ„ where we shal liue foreuer in despite of all our enimies through the benefit of the good Samaritane our sauiour Christ Thus we may see how it is true that the Apostle sayth the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life NotwithstaÌ„ding in some respecte and in some sense the letter is profitable as I haue sayde and also the Apostle teacheth vs that the same letter or law which killeth is not voyde of profite For he sayth The law was our Scholemaster to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by fayth If then it did bring vs to Christ we had no small profite therby And agayn he sayth The law is holy the coÌ„maundement is holy and iust and good Was that then which is good made death vnto men God forbid but sinne that it might appeare sinne wrought death in me by that which is good that sinne mighte be out of measure sinfull by the coÌ„maundement For we know that the law is spirituall but I am carnall tolde vnder sinne Héere the Apostle expoundeth him selfe sheweth after what sort the letter or the law killeth yet neuerthelesse it remayneth profitable holy spiritual good iust Thus much of the letter of the diuers sense and meaning therof and what letter it is that killeth how it killeth how it profiteth God graunt vs al the true vnderstanding and knowledge of his worde with a readie mind wil to folow the same that bringing foorth the fruites of the spirite we may liue for euer in heauen with almightie god To whom the father the sonne the holy ghost thrée persons and one God be all prayse honor glory for euer So be it FINIS Gen. 25.22 An. mundi 2100. 2. Sa 8 1â— An. mundi 2900. 2. Re 8. â—0 An mundi 3060. An. mundi 33â—â— Psal. 1â—â— An. domini 1553. Luk. 1.69 Hebr. 1.1 Mat. 22.43 1. Pet. 3.18 Dan. 7.1 Reuel 1.12 1. Sam. 9.9 2. Sa. 24.11 Iohn 8.38 1. Ioh. 1.1 1. Re. 1â— 3. An. mundi 3030. An. mundi 3360. Ezec. 25.12 Ier. 49.7 Psal. 90 1â— An. mundi 2490. Ier. 49.14 Luk. 11.49 Iohn 1.3 Psal. 19.7 2. Ti. 3.15 1. Cor. 11.23 Psa 50.15 Rom. 8.31 Ier. 49.16 Mal. 1.4 Gen. 7.21 Ge. 19.24 Gen. 11. â— 2. Re. 25 9. Luk. 19.43 21.6 Exo. 14.27 Ios 6.20 8.19 10.11 12.9 c. Iud. 7.22 2. Reg. 19.35 Psal. 27.1 Psal. 18.2 Gen. 36.15 Ier. 49.22 Ier. 49.11 Eze. 25.13 Ez. 35.1 c. Psal. 118.8 Amos. 3.6 Esa. 13.6 Eze. 30.3 Ioel. 1.15 2.11 Zoph 1.14 Gen. 3.20 Gen. 12.3 .18.18 Gen. 41.57 Ioh. 12.32 Phil. 2.21 Lu. 26.42 Ier. 49.12 Eze. 25.14 Iud 3. vers 9. 15. 2. Cor. 3.6 Rom 15.4 Ios 1.5 Heb. 13.5 Rom. 15 4 2. Ti. 3.16 Ioh. 3.16 Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Gal. 5.19 Mat. 11.4 Iohn 5.36 .14.11 1. Cor. 10.6 Gen. 22.9 Gen. 37 2â— Gen. 39. 41. .42 .47 Ex. 1. .14 Exo. 12.3 Iohn 1.29 1. Cor. 5.7 1. Pet. 1.19 Gal. 4.22 â–ª Deu. 25.4 1. Cor. 9.9 Exo. 17.6 1. Cor. 10.3 Num. 21.8 Ioh. 3.14 Deu. 18.15 Act. 3. â— Psa 95.10 Nu. 14.23 Heb. 4.9 1. Sa. 18.11 .19.11 23.8 .26 2. c. 2. Sam. 5.3 2. Sa. 1.15 2. Sa. 2.4 2. Sa 11. ver 4. .17 1. Sa. 24.7 .26.9 Psal. 11.1 Eze. 34.23 .37.24 Eze. 37.25 Hos 3.5 Iohn 10.11 2. Sa. 7.13 1. Re. 2.46 Heb. 1.4 Psal. 2.7 2. Sa. 7.14 Ionas 1.17 Mat. 12.40 Hos 11.1 Mat. 2.15 Ier. 31.15 Mat. 2.18 Lu. 24.27 Act. 3.24 Luk 1.70 An allegorie gathered of the signification of the worde Edom. Ancient testimonies witnessing that the Bishoppe of Rome is an Edomite coÌ„sequently Antichrist Esa. 34.6 Ier. 49.7 Lam. 4.21 Eze 25.13 Eâ—â— 34.9 The allegorie of the Prophet Abdias Psal. 91.13 Zoph 1.15 2. Th. 1.8 Reue 21.4 Mat. 13. vâ— 41. 49 2. Cor. 3.6 Colos 1.24 Act. 22.7 2. Cor. 1.5 2. Cor. 1.5 Mat. 24.13 Reue. 2 ver 7.11.17 26. ca. 3. ver 5.12 21. ca. 21.7 Mat. 10.32 1. Pet. 2.24 Heb. 7 25. Heb. 9.12 Heb 10.14 Ioh. 14.28 Mat 5. ver 11. 27. Luk. 20.17 Act 4 11. â—oh 10. ver â— 11. 1â— cap. 15.1 Mat. 13.3 Ro. 10 14. Iohn 6.35 Iohn 6.54 Iohn 6.53 The letter diuersly vnderstanded Luk. 12.47 Rom. 2.27 Rom. 7.6 2. Cor Exo. 19.16 Exo. 34.30 2. Cor. 3.11 2. Cor. 3.13 2. Cor. 3.18 2. Cor. 3.9 Luk. 10 53 Gal. 3.14 Rom. 7.12 Faultes escaped in the print The first number signifieth the leafe of the Booke the seconde the page of the leafe and the thirde the line The thirde leafe the second page and the eyght line for succour reade fauour 15. 1. 17. for Thir. reade Tsir 20. 1. 7. for higher thou reade higher than thou 23. 2. 17. for byd reade hyd 25. 2. 24. for godly reade goodly 26. 1. 13. for suffereth reade suffered 27. 2. 6. for decision reade derision 54. 1. 13. for feare reade sence
speketh those words out of Egypt I haue called my sonne Where the letter teacheth vs nothing else but the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie but the holy Ghost vnderstandeth moreouer the returning of our sauiour out of Egypt into his own couÌ„trey after the death of Herod For so the Prophets words are expounded in the Gospel Finally the Prophet Ieremy declaring the deliuerance of the Israelites out of captiuitie describeth first their gret affliction saying Thus saith the Lord a voyce was herd on high a mourning and bitter wéeping Rachell wéeping for hir childreÌ„ would not be comforted bicause they wer not Thus saith the Lord refraine thy voyce froÌ„ wéeping thine eyes from teres for thy work shal be rewarded saith the Lord they shal come again froÌ„ the laÌ„d of their enimies Here the letter teacheth vs only the returning of the Israelits froÌ„ the captiuity of BabiloÌ„ But the holy ghost therby vnderstaÌ„deth the lameÌ„tatioÌ„ of the Israelites for their Infants whoÌ„ Herode slue at the birth of our sauiour Christ as the EuaÌ„gelist witnesseth So I say in this Prophet Abdias besides that hath béene alreadie noted we are taught Christ and the destruction of our enimies by him for he hathe applied the writings of all the Prophets vnto him selfe when he accompanied the two Disciples vnto Emaus after his resurrection For S. Luke sayth that he began at Moses and at al the Prophets and interpreted vnto theÌ„ in all the scriptures those things that were written of him And S. Peter sayth Al the Prophets froÌ„ Samuel and thence foorth euen as many as haue written haue foretolde of those dayes that is to say of the wonderfull workes then wrought in the name of Christ and of his death and resurrection Also Zachary Iohn Baptist father praiseth the Lord God of Israel for our redeÌ„ption by Christ our mightie sauiour as he had promised by the mouth of his holy Prophets that haue bin from the beginning of the world Therfore séeing that all the Prophets haue forespoken of saluatioÌ„ by Christ Abdias also with the residue hath prophesied of him so that in this Prophet we may finde our deliuerance by Christ and consequently the destruction of Antichrist Which he dothe here first teach vs vnder the name of Edom Esau The signification of the word EdoÌ„ pointeth vs to the person and also to the place where Antichrist dwelleth For Edom in the Hebrue tong signifieth red or bloudie The Bishop of Rome which is Antichrist sheweth him selfe to be Edom that is red and bloudy both in outwarde appearance and also in his secrete deuises for he and his Cardinals his doctors and other his adherents are clothed in red the seruing men of his Clergie goe in red This is their colour wherewith they are delighted So also their dooings are red and bloudie For this is the fyrst decrée of their secret counsel at Trent Al they that professe the Gospel and are enimies vnto the Church of Rome shall be rooted out they shall be slayne and put to death their bloud shall be shed vpon the earth This is their bloudy decrée which they haue practised to the vtter most of their power héer in England in Scotland and of late in FrauÌ„ce and in many other places of Christendome as Germany Flanders Spayne and Italie So that they are altogither delighted in bloud and wil neuer be satisfied Therefore they maye well be called Edomits red bloudy meÌ„ Moreouer not only the signification of the worde but also the testimonie of diuers ancient writers leadeth vs to vnderstand by this name EdoÌ„ the Antichrist of Rome who are persuaded that he is not onely in outwarde pompe and shew and in déedes an Edomite but also in bloud kinred as one that had his beginning of the Edomites For Moses Gerundensis writing of the beginning of the Romanes sayth we haue heard in the bookes of the Chronicles of Ioseph ben Gorian and in other bookes of Antiquities that Sappho the sonne of Eliphas the sonne of Esau the father of the Edomites prouoked Ioseph the sonne of Iacob to warre wheÌ„ he was gouernour of Egypt In the which war Sappho the Edomite and his valiaunt captaynes were taken and caried into Egypt and there committed vnto prison where they remayned as long as Ioseph liued And when he was dead Sappho fledde away and went into Campania and reigned ouer Kittim at Rome At the length he was made king ouer all Italy and this was the first king of Rome Also Dauid Kimchi writing vpon this Prophete sayth The Edomites are nowe so mingled among other Nations that a man can not knowe them from the Ammonites and Moabites and the people of other Countreys sauing that the greater parte of the Edomites hath béene from the beginning of the kingdome of Rome Therefore what soeuer the Prophets haue spoken of the desolation of Idumea in the latter ende of the worlde they haue spoken it agaynst Rome For when soeuer Rome shall be destroyed Israell shall be deliuered Thus besides that these writers testifie that the Romanes had their beginning of the Edomites Kimchi saythe that by the Edomites the Prophetes doe vnderstande the Romanes And hée saythe moreouer Abdias prophesieth onely agaynst Edom not that externall Edom as it séemeth but an other that is to say agaynst the spirituall Edom the Antichrist of Rome whiche was little despised in the beginning but through the pride of his heart much exalted like an Eagle making his nest aboue the starres and rioting vpon the mounte of Sion Moreouer an other olde writer the author of the booke called Seder olam that is to say a rehearsall of antiquities calleth Rome Edom in these words Aspatian for so he termeth VespatiaÌ„ came and wasted the temple and caried away many families of the house of Dauid into Spayne and this was the. â—80 yeres of Edom or of the Romanes Finally Ionathan the Chaldey paraphrast in many places where the Prophetes name Edom in stéede therof he nameth Rome As for example The floudes of Edom sayth the Prophet shall be turned into pitche Which words the Paraphrast interpreting sayth The flouds of Rome shal be turned into pitche And vpon the last verse of this Prophet he sayth And they shal folow the sauiour froÌ„ the mount of Sion to giue senteÌ„ce agaynst the mount of Esau and that sayth he is the mount of Rome Thus it appereth by the iudgemeÌ„t of these writers that by the destruction of EdoÌ„ is vnderstanded the destruction of the Antichrist of Rome This is it therefore that the Prophet teacheth vs besides that hath bin already noted That almightie God hath determined to ouerthrow the persecuter of his children The Embassadour our sauiour Christ is alreadie sent and proclaymeth at this present by the mouth of his Preachers war against him saying vp let vs arise against Rome vnto battell let vs with al the gifts that God